Ferry boat still carries cars, people

By DWANE WILDER

In five years as a ferry boat captain on Norris Lake, Johnny Ray has hauled just about everything imaginable: cars, pick-ups, log trucks, dump trucks, boats, motorcycles, ATVs and pedestrians.

One of two ferry captains for the Union County Road Department, Ray is enjoying a second career after retiring from 22 years of factory work.

“They trained me for four days and then said you got it,” Ray said.

Union County’s ferry has been in operation since 1987 on the Powell River arm of the lake near Leadmine Bend. It doesn’t cost a cent to ride and saves folks who live on the north side of the river invaluable time while traveling to and from the county seat of Maynardville.

Ray, along with Don Sharp, the other captain, helps keep the ferry running 7 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week, year-round weather permitting. Ray and Sharp each work four days and are off four days.

“Sometimes we have to shut it down, especially when there’s whitecaps you can’t hit the bank,” Ray said.

“The worst thing is if the wind gets up. And trash and logs can cause problems.”

During a period of particularly bad weather and high water in 1995, Union County’s ferry sank in the channel. The wreck still lies on the bottom in 70 feet of water.

Ray said the current ferry, which includes a foam core, is better equipped to handle adverse weather conditions.

He has hauled as many as six cars on several occasions. Once, he ferried 35 motorcycles and their riders across the river.

“I would’ve had 37, but two of them backed out,” Ray said.

Another time, Ray said he hauled a tandem truck load of logs. Because of insurance regulations, the ferry can no longer move fully-loaded rigs but remains a vital link in the transportation system of Union and neighboring counties of Claiborne and Campbell.

“When I took office, I didn’t promise the people here a ferry. But when we had to chance to, we went out and got one,” said Clayton Helms, who has served the past 21 years as road superintendent for Union County.

Helms estimates the ferry carries an average of 35 vehicles a day. Ray’s personal record is 90, which he set on June 18 of this year. His previous best was 69.

A pair of John Deere six-cylinder marine diesel engines powers the ferry, which has a 100-gallon fuel tank that is refilled twice a week each Monday and Friday.

“They’re either 200 or 210 horsepower,” Ray said of the engines.

Though the engines are modern, the ferry’s hull dates back nearly 70 years. A trademark stamped on the weathered deck says it was hull number 350 built by Nashville Bridge Company in 1936.

After five years on the job, Ray has ferrying down to a science. With clockwork precision, he can cover the quarter-mile of water between Leadmine Bend Road on the south side of the Powell and Straight Branch Road on the north side at Kilgore’s Union County Dock in six minutes flat.

“The people that live out here and work at the courthouse, its saves them an hour’s drive,” Ray said.

Thanks to the folks at the Union County Road Department, rush-hour traffic doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience.

A publication of the LaFollette Press